Patent GB-1333069-A (GB)
Title: Yarn handling apparatus
IPC: B65H67/08
Filed: 1970-09-01
Abstract: 1333069 Forming and checking unwinding ends; removing wound bobbins LEESONA CORP 1 Sept 1970 [18 Sept 1969] 22104/73 Divided out of 1333068 Headings D1F and D1J This invention relates to an apparatus for ensuring that wound bobbins, prior to a subsequent processing stage, have their unwinding ends correctly positioned away from the body of yarn itself. The invention calls for each unwinding end to be inspected to determine whether or not the end is correctly positioned, first means for processing the bobbin if the end is correctly positioned and second means for precluding subsequent processing of the bobbin if the end is not correctly positioned. In the particular apparatus disclosed each bobbin is moved in a step-by-step manner through six separate stations arranged in a circle. At each step the bobbins are lifted off a magnetic seating 124, Fig. 1, by grippers 90, moved to the next station, and then released by the grippers on to the magnetic seating of the further station. Delivery Station No. 1. At station 1 a wound bobbin 20 is dropped down through a tube 120 on to a magnetic seating 128. A carrier 22 for the bobbin then lifts the bobbin off the seating by means of grippers 90 and a cam and ratchet mechanism causes the carrier 22 to move the bobbin by one step to station No. 2. Preliminary Servicing and Inspection Station No. 2. At station No. 2 the bobbin is dropped on to another magnetic seating 130. A jet of air is then blown through the core of the bobbin by means of a tube 136 to clear the bore of any foreign matter or yarn 138. The bore of the bobbin core is then inspected to see if it is obstructed. The inspection means includes a photo-cell scanner 140 above the bobbin core and a reflector 132 in the magnetic seat 130. If the bore is clear the bobbin proceeds to station No. 3. If the core is blocked the photo-cell scanner 140 causes a piston to push the bobbin off its magnetic seating 130 and into a reject chute 148 leading to an inspection bin 150. Cleaning and Yarn Ends Processing Station No. 3.  At this station, Fig. 5, the bobbin 20 is deposited alongside a conduit 178 having a vertically extending slot 176 facing the bobbin. A plunger, operated by a cylinder 242, descends and causes chuck members at the lower end of the plunger to enter and expand within the bobbin core in a manner establishing a driving connection with the core.  Air is sucked into the slot 176 and this causes an air current to flow around the bobbin 20 to clean the exterior thereof of foreign matter. The bobbin 20 is then driven firstly in the wind-up direction so that any yarn that has been wound in a reverse direction about the body of yarn is removed, and thereafter the bobbin 20 is driven in the unwinding direction whereupon a length of yarn is unwound and drawn through the slot 176 to a lower suction tube 158 and thence to a cutter unit 160, Fig. 1. A lower clamp 172, Fig. 5, on which the bobbin 20 rests is lowered temporarily to open a port 156 in a manner permitting an air current to enter the chamber 154 and draw a tailing end of yarn 194 off the lower end of the bobbin 20 and into the port 156. A tangential jet of air directed by a nozzle 196 assists in the unwinding of said tailing end. If the unwinding end 180 is entangled with the tailing end 194, then both ends are drawn through the port 156 whilst the bobbin is rotated in its winding-up direction. In any event, when the bobbin 20 is subsequently rotated in its unwinding direction (which is the winding direction of the tailing end) the clamp 172 is closed, the tailing end 194, or both ends as the case may be, are clamped between the annular seat and the clamp and severed by the tension developed because of the rotation of the bobbin. The unwinding end is then drawn into the slot 176 and the unwound thread is fed down the tube 158 to the cutter 160. Bunch Making and Bunch Depositing Station No. 4. Before the bobbin 20 is transferred to station No. 4, valves are operated to cause the unwinding end of the yarn that has been drawn into the slot 176 to flow upwardly along the conduit 178 and thence into a conical bunch-making chamber 280 above station No. 4, see Fig. 8. The bobbin is then transferred from station No. 3 to station No. 4. At the bottom of the conical chamber 280 is a circle of air inlets 322 providing jets of air that converge upwardly towards a lower portion 324 of the bunch-making chamber 280. Above this lower portion 324 is a perforated partition 328 and above that a suction line 312. As the unwound end of yarn whips across the lower face of the perforated partition 328, the turbulence and swirling action of the air in the portion 324 causes the yarn to form relatively large loops upon itself near the outside periphery of the partition 328. The vacuum from the suction line 312 and the jets through the air inlets 322 are now shutoff and the bobbin is raised slightly to block off a slot 326 through which the yarn has previously been transferred from the elongated slot 176 at station No. 3 to the bunch-making chamber 280. A jet of air from a line 346, Fig. 8, then blows the bunch of thread off the lower face of the partition 328 and down on to the top of the bobbin core 92. A ram 354 then moves downwardly to push the thread bunch 138 into the bobbin core as in Fig. 8. The bobbin is then indexed to the next station No. 5 where the bunch 138 is inspected. Bunch Inspection Station No. 5. When the bobbin has been deposited at station No. 5 a photo-cell scanner 358, Fig. 1, above the bobbin core co-operates with a reflector 360 below the bobbin core to check whether a bunch of yarn 138 has been inserted into the top end of the bobbin core. If the bunch of yarn 138 is not detected a memory system is triggered to operate a bobbin-reject mechanism when the bobbin reaches discharge station No. 6. The next indexing of the carrier 22 moves the bobbin 20 to the discharge station No. 6. Discharge Station No. 6. At the discharge station the bobbin 20 drops on to a magnetic seat 370 attached to a conveyor chain 372. This chain 372 carries the bobbin 20 upwardly into a vertical tube 376, Figure 1, and then into a sorting and discharge unit Fig. 11. At this station the bobbin passes into a frame 380 Frame 380 can rock upwardly about left-hand pivot pins 382 (as shown) if its right-hand pins 382 are released by latches 392. Such rooking of the frame 380 is by the aforesaid memory system and causes the bobbin to be deposited in a reject chute 406 leading to the inspection bin 150. Similarly the frame 380 can rock upwardly about righthand pivot pins 382, if its left-hand pivot pins 382 are released by the latches 392. Such rocking of the frame 380 takes place if the bobbin 20 passes its inspection at station No. 5 and results in the bobbin 20 being tipped into another chute 408 for eventual use at a winding station.  Specification 1229877 is referred to.